Central Florida business owners feeling pain at the pump

ORLANDO, Fla. - People and business owners are feeling the pain at the pump.  

"I’m spending over $200 a week just in gas, and it’s not worth the money.  It feels like we just have to work to put gas in the car," Debbie Grey said.  

She owns Fairy Dogmother Pet Care in Orlando and loves what she does, walking and caring for pets every day.  Now getting from one 4-legged client to another these days is biting into her profit. 

"The price has gone up 80 cents in a week. And that’s just astronomical for someone like me. I’m a single sole proprietor. I don’t have employees. It’s just me. I have to make it up somewhere," Grey said. 

With gas prices on the rise, she’s not sure where how much to increase her prices per walk.  

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"If I raise $2 a visit now, is that too low? If I raise $5 is that too much?" Grey said. She also doesn’t know how to break the news to the parents of her pooches.  "I develop a friendship with them. They’re not just a client and for me to say hey I need more money, it’s hard.  Your pride gets in the way, but I have to put food on my table," Grey said. 

Richie Kidwell at Air Quality Assessors feeling the same pain at the pump, times 42, the number of vehicles in his fleet.  Kidwell is in shock comparing what his company paid in gas a year ago versus today.  

"We were spending on average, on our main fuel card about 6 k per month.  Fast-forward to this year $14 to 15 k a year more than double hike just in fuel costs," said Kidwell.  

At this point, he feels it would cost him business to pass that cost on to customers.  So for now, AQA will be absorbing the additional costs. 

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